You know what the best way to recruit a volunteer is?

Show them another volunteer and they’re usually sold.

Why? Because people who volunteer to give their time, effort and expertise to advance a cause when they have nothing to gain financially or otherwise—they are the kind of people most of us aspire to be. Their volunteering is typically just one on a list of great qualities.

With more than 15-thousand lakes and hundreds of streams the MPCA would have no chance to monitor and test all those waters without volunteers. To say you are integral to our work is a major understatement. Even if the only responsibility of the Pollution Control Agency was water monitoring, all of our staff combined could not do what our volunteer network of Citizen Stream and Lake Monitors do for us, and for your state.

In streams, close to 400 volunteers are monitoring 526 sites. With lakes, more than a thousand volunteers monitor at least 1400 sites on 953 lakes, plus another 276 sites on more than 100 Boundary Waters lakes. I find the sheer number of our volunteers and the water they help us track to be awe inspiring. Maybe you have an attachment to a particular stream or lake, maybe you’re retired with time to give, maybe you just don’t want pollution in the water, whatever your motivation your service is a gift.

Opportunities and responsibilities are part and parcel of our volunteer network. We thank you for choosing to volunteer, for choosing to give back to the rich fresh water gifts in this State. Your work helps us protect water here in Minnesota as well as water flowing from here into Canada, and all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. Thank you for your contribution and for choosing water quality.

      - John Linc Stine, Commissioner, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

2012 reports available online

You can now access 2012 Citizen Lake and Stream Monitoring Program data on the Citizen Monitoring Individual Site Report Tool. Use the clickable map or text search to find summary report information for any Citizen Lake or Stream Monitoring program site monitored during 2012. You can also link to water quality assessment information for your lake or stream, and review trend results to find out if transparency is improving or declining over time on your favorite waterbody.

For individuals who have requested paper communication, we will mail your individual site reports soon. If you have a chance to view the online presentation, you'll see some added features, such as maps, which aren't available in the paper format.

All they talk about is the weather....

Since you are interested in tracking the condition of a stream or lake, you may be part of the population that really enjoys talking about the weather and the planetary circumstances that influence it. Here are some Web sites for more weather information.

For a planetary perspective, here are sun and moon rise and set times courtesy of the US Naval Observatory: http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/

For all things “climate” in our state, the Minnesota Climatology Working Group has assembled an array of links: http://climate.umn.edu/doc/climate_monitor.htm

Secchi Dip-In coming up

Lake and stream monitors are encouraged to participate in the great Secchi Dip-in again this summer . This event engages experienced Secchi disk and Secchi tube monitors to submit their lake and stream transparency readings taken between June 29 and July 21 on any lake or stream in the world, although the focus is on the US and Canada.  For more information, visit the Web site at http://www.secchidipin.org

CSMP sampling reminders

Now that the season is off to a good start, here are some friendly reminders to ensure that your data is accurate and useful:

1.  Please check your datasheets for legibility. If we can’t decipher your data, we can’t use your data!
2. Record Appearance, Recreational Suitability, Rain Event = Yes/No, and Stream Stage Estimate each time you sample.
3. The scales for “Appearance” and “Recreational Suitability” range from 1—5. Please choose only one number (“2-3” or “3+” will not be used).
4. Note that the “Appearance” scale distinguishes “1A (Clear)” reading from “1B (Tea-colored).”
5. When measuring transparency with your Secchi tube, remove sunglasses and turn your back to the sun to shade the tube before taking a reading.
6. Please estimate the water level at your site each time you sample. For assistance with determining which “Stream Stage Estimate” category to record, please refer to the descriptions below.
7. Please submit your stream datasheet by October 31, 2013. If possible, use the CSMP Electronic Datasheet to reduce data entry staff time and work here at the MPCA. Thank you!

 Stream stage estimate (L,N,H,Z,D):

The following stage estimate categories are broad, so don’t agonize too much over which category to choose.

     L=low           Water covers 1/3 or less of the distance from the stream bottom to the top of the bank.

     N=normal   Water covers 1/3 to 2/3 of the distance from the stream bottom to the top of the bank.

     H=high        Water covers 2/3 or more of the distance from the stream bottom to the top of the bank.

     Z=no flow    Disconnected stagnant pools/puddles without observable flow.

     D=dry          Stream channel is dry.

 EPA Success Spotlight: Credit River

Many of us monitor water quality because we care about our lake or stream and want conditions on them to be protected or improved. The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Clean Water Act Section 319 Program provides funding for restoration of nonpoint source-impaired water bodies. Runoff from urban and agricultural areas led to excess sedimentation and turbidity in the Credit River, which flows into the Minnesota River at Savage. As a result, in 2002, the MPCA added the river to the state's list of impaired waters for failing to support aquatic life. Watershed partners worked with private landowners to stabilize stream banks and ravines, thereby reducing erosion and sediment runoff. Several cities in the watershed also implemented nonpoint source pollution control projects, such as rain gardens, to reduce urban runoff. Through a combination of stormwater discharge regulations, innovative low impact development projects and capital improvement programs, city, township, state and federal partners removed excess turbidity, prompting Minnesota to remove the Credit River from its list of impaired waters in 2012. Click here for more information.